I can no longer pull up
cnn.com. This used to be my first act of the workday. What am I to do now? I suppose I'll hit
fark instead, just to have a good laugh. As an interested citizen, I'm not able to read the headlines and stories that our media deems
newsworthy any more. Though these events are indeed newsworthy and affect me and my fellow human beings, I cannot bear the brunt of their
brutalism. I can't think about and speculate with others the meaning of the
violence and
tragedy that befalls our race on a daily basis. Some may find this weak or inconsiderate. I call it
self-preservation...
"Protesters in France expanded their arson rampage into the capital city of Paris and along Mediterranean resort communities as the nation's Interior Ministry warned the violence might grow Sunday."
"Dozens of insurgents were killed Saturday on the first day of Operation Steel Curtain, a U.S.-Iraqi military offensive near the Syrian border, military officials said."
"HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- An attorney for Charles Victor Thompson described the escaped death-row inmate on Saturday as "charming, articulate and well-spoken," and said it's doubtful that the convicted murderer would kill again."
"A luxury cruise line will re-evaluate whether to offer future cruises off the coast of Somalia after pirates attempted to attack one of its ships early Saturday."
"Jewish Defense League figure Earl Krugel, convicted in a plot to bomb a California mosque and the office of a U.S. congressman was killed at a federal prison in Arizona, an FBI spokesman said Saturday."
"A bird flu outbreak in northern China that sparked the culling of about 370,000 birds lies along a migration route that spans from East Asia to Australia media report said Sunday, as officials continued killing thousands of birds east of Beijing."
"GULFPORT, Mississippi (AP) -- A pattern is emerging as the cleanup of Mississippi's Gulf Coast morphs into its multibillion-dollar reconstruction: Come payday, untold numbers of Hispanic immigrant laborers are being stiffed."
The headlines continue like this each and every day. As important as these stories obviously are, their bombardment on our daily lives can only result in heartache and questioning of our very existence in this world. Perhaps I'm underestimating the capacity of humankind to deal with the constant reminder of the negative...but I hope not.